With winter approaching and the holidays near, it is the right time to see what shape your home heating system is in. The last thing you want is to discover you can’t warm your house up in the middle of a cold snap.
You can test your system on your own, to see if it needs work before things get truly frosty. To do so, follow these steps:
Turn all the valves on your radiator up to a moderately high level. Next, turn the thermostat up to the maximum. Now, set the heating to run on your system, whether it is a boiler or programmer. After 15 minutes have elapsed, touch your radiators. They should be noticeably warm at this point. If that is not the case, consider contacting a professional company, such as J. Griffin Heating & Plumbing Inc.
Even if your system works, check for other issues that may impede your attempts to warm the house or may raise your energy bills. To see if your system has sprung a leak since you last used it, run your boiler while placing some paper or foil under it. If you follow the wet spots up the central heating system, you will likely be able to see if you can spot where the water is coming from.
Also, listen for strange noises. Particularly those that sound like they are produced by liquid of some sort. Typically, you will hear a kind of hissing or whooshing. Also, make check your pressure gauge. Does your system lose pressure each time you turn it on?
Another method of checking is by filling the boiler with water. Then wait and see how long it takes for the water to drain. This will tell you if there is a leak or not. If there is one, it will indicate the rough size of the leak.
If you are having a problem and cannot find a leak, you may have a pipe blockage. To find it run your hand very carefully up and down the pipes in search of a cold spot. Since some parts may be very hot to the touch, be sure to wear gloves during this process. The leak may also present in the thermo valve. If the radiator remains cool, but the pipes are fairly hot, chances are the radiator valves are the source of the problem.
If everything works, you are good to go. Enjoy a cozy winter! If there is a problem, contact J. Griffin Heating & Plumbing Inc. That way you can be sure, that the problem will be fixed quickly and efficiently before winter truly sets in.
Our company has over 30 years of experience with providing heating solutions for the brutal Eastern Massachusetts winter. We are located in North Reading. We are also on social media! Like us on Facebook, at https://www.facebook.com/JGriffinHeatingandPlumbing/
As always, the best way to get a quote is by calling at (781) 521-2188.